Austin Reviews

The principles that this book discusses: Release, Collaboration Ensemble and Play are extremely relevant to creating effective software teams. The principles are inspired by observing how theatre companies work, but they also have a basis in lean manufacturing. If you work as a software developer or manager and have ever worked on a theatre production (community theatre or at school) a light will go on immediately. If you haven't The data that the authors provide about lean manufacturing practices and software development will convince you that there is a lot that we can learn from this metaphor. The theatre examples will be helpful in explaining how the principles work if you need to communicate them to a manager who does not understand software development. Buy this book and place it along side your books on agile software development; you will want to read it and refer back to it frequently.

I have had the privilege of studying under Prof. Rob Austin, and I this book continues the dialogue that has always informed Rob's intellectual search--how do two seemingly disparate disciplines, in this case theater production and knowledge based business, converge to inform processes that are virtually identical thus providing a path where each can improve the results of the other.

Both he and Lee Devin have written a concise, powerfully convincing narrative that offers a new approach on how to manage complexity, embrace ambiguity and uncertainty and innovate reliably under strict deadlines. Managing "release", rapid iterative development, and creating the right "ensemble" are some of the key concepts explored in the book.

Highly recommended for anyone presented with the challenges of how to innovate and perform reliably under deadlines.

For those who need to innovate in a world of change, reduced cycle times, and demanding customers. Austin and Devin provide a management framework for delivering innovation reliably and effectively. Concepts in the book--Artful Making, Reconceiving, Low cost iteration, and working on the Edge--all resonate with my experiences in the Agile Software Development movement. "Artful Making" will go on my must read list!

Foundation News and Commentary
July/August 2001
Vol. 42, No. 4

Review by Beth Brown

We all want to partner. We all speak of collaborative spirit. But when the rubber meets the road, what does collaboration really entail, and what's the difference between a deal and an alliance?

James Austin breaks down the notion of collaboration into a must-read users guide for any organizational leader embarking on a collaboration. And although the book is geared toward corporations and their nonprofit partners, many of the lessons are universal and can be applied to any individual or organization considering a joint venture, be it a marriage or cross-sector alliance.

Austin notes the role serendipity and personal relationships plays in introducing partnerships-a conversation in a coffee shop or during a long plane ride-often sparking the "ah-ha" moment leading to the realization that a corporation and a nonprofit have what Austin calls mission mesh. The organizations' leaders can see how their visions' core competencies can make a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Through in-depth and candid examples from partnerships, including those between Starbucks and CARE, Timberland and City Year, and American Eagle Outfitters and Jumpstart, Austin chronicles the necessary, and often awkward, stages businesses and nonprofits pass through in order to become strategic partners.

Austin has a healthy skepticism for the ease of collaboration. He often likens it to dating, and as with a courting pair from different countries, he sees the cultural and values barriers between the sectors as the greatest obstacle to collaboration. The corporate leaders he interviews are open about the fact that their bottom line is to make a profit and a partnership can often assist their public relations efforts.

For the nonprofits, there is greater accountability held when working with corporations, and sometimes the social value nonprofits generate is not easily quantifiable. In addition, each can be associated with the mistakes of the other. However, the payoff is that one can also be associated with the success of the other and be exposed to new audiences-potential customers for the business, future partners for the nonprofit.

One interesting observation Austin makes is the inherent noncollaborative nature of a philanthropic relationship (it is the lowest on the collaborative totem poll). Although he does not single out foundations, he characterizes the giving of money by one organization to another as an exchange of resources for warm fuzzy feelings. Among philanthropic relationships, the venture philanthropy approach seems to offer a model of partnership similar in the level of engagement to the examples mentioned in Austin's book.

The details from the examples and extensive quotes of philanthropic and business leaders, such as Aaron Lieberman of Jumpstart and Jeff Swartz of Timberland, give the reader an insider's view of what went into the partnership. At the same time, the book is filled with simple big-picture truths such as "serious relationships, organizational and interpersonal, should not be rushed." That's a helpful notion to remember with everyone so eager to jump on the partnership bandwagon. Austin reminds us that having and keeping a partnership is not the end all-adding value is the goal and sustainability does not necessarily equal effectiveness.

Austin's greatest contributions to fostering collaboration are the tools the book includes: questions, checklists, continuums-cheat sheets for collaboration-that would be an asset to any leader considering partnership. In addressing the questions he poses, Austin leads potential collaborators through the development of a partnership purpose.

The final chapter of the book contains a complete conceptual framework for collaboration that seems universally applicable to any partnership. These "Seven C's of Collaboration" include Connection with Purpose and People, Clarity of Purpose, Congruency of Mission, Creation of Value, Communication Between Partners, Continual Learning, and Commitment to the Partnership.

So let's all take a cross-sector breath before claiming our next partner and take the messages of James Austin's book to heart and practice.

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Beth Brown is the director of Public Policy and Emerging Issues at the Council on Foundations.

At the Independent Sector's annual meeting in Atlanta on November 6, Professor James Austin of the Harvard Business School's Initiative on Social Enterprise was awarded one of The Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Prizes for 2001for his book The Collaboration Challenge: How Nonprofits and Businesses Succeed Through Strategic Alliances. The two Prizes recognize outstanding published research that furthers understanding of philanthropy, voluntary action, nonprofits, and civil society in the United States and abroad. The Prize Selection Committee is comprised of five senior academic researchers and practitioners and is chaired by Professor Howard Tuckman, Dean of the Business School at Rutgers University. The prize is named in honor of Virginia Ann Hodgkinson, who is renowned worldwide as a driving force behind the development of research on the nonprofit sector and voluntary action.

This is timely management book should be read by all those interested in leading, or advocating, a strategic alliance between a business and a non-profit, or by those who are already involved in such an alliance.

The issues covered by the book are very topical. Strategic alliances have become increasingly important to organizational survival. In addition, some organizations, including businesses, recognize that, for the long haul, they need to be in closer harmony with deeper aspirations of their customers, employees and shareholders. Others oppose such approaches as a dangerous temptation to fuzzy thinking and conflicted agendas. Yet others view the non-economic motives of their constituents as only relevant to marketing campaigns or high-minded mission statements.

This practical book addresses these opportunities and challenges systematically and with insight. It doesn't push quick fixes or high-risk strategies, but rather presents processes and analytical frameworks that support sequential acts of collaboration.

The author is a good teacher and effectively uses case studies to support his recommendations. His approach is practical and recognizes the reality that every relationship involves an exchange of value. His emphasis is on having clear agendas and then searching together for common outcomes built around relative strengths.

Flint Hills Bride was the funniest romance novel I have ever read! The teasing back and forth couldn't have been better. After reading so many other novels where the heorine is in constant turmoil and upset, it was great to be able to laugh for a change.

This is the best book. I loved when I read it the first time. I could not put it down. I have read it about 6 times and I never get tired of it. Jake is such a sweetheart in this book. Him and Emily make an awesome couple.

This book is an awesome sequel to Hero of the Flint Hills! It is so funny it brought me to tears. Cassandra Austin is a such a good writer. The book leaves you with such a happy loving feeling when your through with it! You won't want to put it down!

When I was first learning to read, Gabriel Churchkitten and I spent a lot of time together. It was my most favored book and after forty years, I still remember it.

This is a vintage (1942) children's book that is so adorable and readable you will want to read it over and over again out loud to your little ones. It's appropriate for infants to 7 years, IMO. The author has very whimsically created and illustrated the little church animals. The setting of a live-in church with the Parson Peasporridge is also very quaint. The black and white (pen and ink or ingravings?) art is frameable, so these books are getting pretty scarce and collectible.

I remember this book from my childhood. The pen and ink drawings are delightful. The story is creative and fun. I have one copy which my grandchildren love to hear. The story appeals to ages 3 through 10, and "adult children".

I have given this book to five friends and several family members who have become new grandmother's!! Now all my friends and their relatives want this book! It is an excellent family storybook that shares fun times and special feelings! A "must have" for Grandmothers reading list! I guarantee your friends will love the gift!

When I first found out that I was going to be a grandmother for the first time, I started noticing books about grandmothers. I looked through this book and thought it was so cute, so I bought it, intending to give it to my grandchild.
When my son was married, his wife had a seven year old daughter. Now that they are expecting, I decided I needed to make her daughter feel special to me before the baby was born. They haven't been married for long, so I haven't had the chance to bond with her as yet. So, one day, when she was at my house and climbing all over my son, I decided she needed something to settle her down, so I went and got this book and gave it to her. She immediately wanted to read it with me. So she began reading and looking at the pictures. It got her attention quickly with the wording of the way grandmothers and their grandchildren could spend quality time. She'd read and then look at me with those big brown eyes and smile or giggle. It was the first time we had connected as a grandmother and grandchild. I finished the last couple of pages for her as she sat in my lap. When we finished it, she hugged my neck. That was when my heart melted for the first time as a "Grammy."
I went shopping yesterday and bought some super soaker water guns that she and I could play with...which was a way to have fun together, which is the theme of this book. I can't wait until I surprise her with them. It is a sweet book to share with your grandchild about how you can bond with your grandchild by doing silly things. Leave the discipline to the parents and just enjoy them. It was the first time I had experienced the unconditional love that a grandchild can give you in return. I might be going through the experience of a first grandchild's birth, but I have learned that this will surely be my second grandchild; my first is a seven year old little girl with big brown eyes that loved this book.

I have read the book, and loved it! Grandchildrens' hearts will be warmed! Grandparents's feelings shared!

Very good and fast moving adventure of evil and good. Once you started the book it was hard to put down. Every time I walked passed the book I had to pick it up and read a couple more pages....need #2 to come about....I love a book that everyone is not killed off.

I thuroughly enjoyed this action fantasy adventure. Although this novel is not my usual genre of literature, I must admit it was a joy to read. It keeps you in the thick of the adventure from page to page. I highly recommend this book to any that want a great story with action, romance and conquest.

This is not my usual type of reading material but I thuroughly enjoyed this fabulous fantasy. It takes you on a journey into the battle that goes on daily as evil tries to overtake good. This is one of few novels I just couldn't put down. Prepare yourself for action, romance and victory. A deffinate recommended read.

There are millions of lonely people out there, and this book can help. Most people have ended up lonely because of bad luck and a little shyness--but they usually blame themselves. Dr. Austin writes with understanding and sympathy for these feelings, and encourages the reader to take a fresh perspective on the situation. Then she offers direct, concrete solutions. I've recommended this book to many patients, and they always are grateful.

Linda Austin has written another book that challenged me to think "outside the box" in finding the life I wanted. She writes with insight about relationships that only an experienced therapist can bring to the table. I especially enjoyed the chapter on engagement, a concept and set of behaviors that were key to my finding the right partner for my life after years of feeling trapped in the wrong marriage. Thanks, Dr. Austin for helping me find the life I wanted.

Dr. Austin's book is so good that you won't ever have to buy another "self-help how-to-find love book" after reading it. While most books cover one aspect of the love game, Dr. Austin's book instead addresses it all: what is love, how to find it, how to know if it is any good for you, and how to do all this while becoming a better person in the process. While most books give you theoretical concepts, Dr. Austin's book gives you quick and easy, nuts and bolts advice on how to make love happen for you. It's the kind of book that you can give to your boyfriend to read, or that you can read with your girlfriends as a starting point for great discussions. In other words, if any book can help you find love and make it work, it's this one. I recommend that anyone looking for love should read it to put their love life on track as soon as they can!

This is the best travel book, I have come across. I have used it for one year and it has not failed me. The restaurant, lodging and daytrip sections have been particularly helpful. You can't go wrong with this book.

Thank you Hilary and Cam. I hope the 3rd Edition is on its way.

This book is full of details and descriptions. Everything you could want to know about Austin. Great for travellers as well as prospective residents (has chapters about neighborhoods and schools). The CitySmart guide is a good supplement, but not nearly as thorough.

This book is not dry like many guidebooks can be. The authors give enough history and background to put their topics in context, but not so much that it becomes boring. I bought this book because I am considering moving to Austin from Northern California, and every question I have is answered in this book. Specific descriptions of individual neighborhoods, indoor and outdoor activities, annual events, arts and music, food, and the list goes on.

I cannot reccommend this book strongly enough.

When I was young, my parents bought me this book. It fascinated me, and I adored it. I read it so many times, parts of it still come back to me today. In the chaos of growing up, my copy was lost. As I got older and began to think about how to help raise the next generation of children, my thoughts kept coming back to this book. I tried without success to find it in bookstores, and asked all my local chains to special order it--but to no avail. Today, logging onto Amazon.com, I searched on a whim and FOUND IT! I can hardly believe my luck! I await my new copy with anticipation. It's as though an old, beloved friend is coming back to me. Buy this book for your kids, and buy it for them young. If I can remember it twenty-some years later, it must be something special.

I READ THIS BOOK WHEN I WAS 8 YEARS OLD AND NEVER FORGOT THE MESSAGE, IN LIFE THERE IS ALWYS A CHOICE ABOUT HOW TO RESPOND IE. POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE..I NOW HAVE A THREE YEAR OLD SON AND I AM DELIGHTED TO SHARE THIS BOOK WITH HIM.

A great message that young readers can not get enough of. There is an activity that demonstrates the message very well. The story stimulates an interactive conversation about a great subject.

I love this series so much that I have had to replace the entire set three times. I lend them out and they disappear!
These are by far the finest novels that Ms. Austin has written. I was drawn into the story, and I just couldn't put the books down. Ms. Austin provides Scriptural references so it is easy to see what she is basing her story on. After reading the Scriptures, elements in the story that are taken right out of the Bible are easily discerned from those that the writer may be taking an artist license with. It breathed life into these characters and made them very relevant to me.

I immediately began reading the remaining books in the series, and every one was a delight. I enthusiastically recommend the series.

The writing is well-done; the content is well-researched, inspirational, provoking AND entertaining!

In this book, Austin aligns the brief Biblical account of King Hezekiah to the words of the prophets of the times along an exciting line of fiction. Prophecies, often confusing or misunderstood suddenly come alive as they are placed into everyday situations and applied to specific situations. This book creates in your mind a thrilling scene of the reality of the despair of Israel and Judah and an understanding of the great compassion Yaweh has for his Chosen People. After reading this book, you will never read prophecy the same again.